


Silvertongue

by Antichthoniae



Category: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:48:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,183
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26417488
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Antichthoniae/pseuds/Antichthoniae
Summary: Little snapshots of the Dragonborn and her relationship with Serana throughout their journey.(not chronological - some chapters will mention Harkon and the Dawnguard questline, but none of those pieces are in any particular order, since I'm not focusing on the questline itself)
Relationships: Female Dovahkiin | Dragonborn/Serana
Comments: 2
Kudos: 15





	Silvertongue

The wind howled outside the tent as I tried my best to fall asleep, so ready to succumb to the darkness of rest, especially after the day I’d had. The pelts that made up the tent did little to shield me from the chill, and I was desperate to fall asleep, if only to get away from the feeling of frost nipping at my skin.  _ I don’t even care if I sleep well or not at this point, really, if sleeping means a reprieve from the harsh weather outside. _

Cold weather made for a restless night, and my mind raced, occupied by too many noises, too much discomfort, too much, too much, too much–

Everything was too much, these days. 

People asked too much of me, and given their expectations for me as the Dragonborn, a fierce dragonslayer and savior of the world, well, it was understandable. But it was just too much. Far too overwhelming, and frankly dissatisfying. Returning from Sovngarde three years ago, triumphant and still full of adrenaline, I didn’t think life could get any better than that. And just my luck – I’d been correct; with my prophecy fulfilled, the jarls of whose holds I was a thane had no real work for me, no task deemed worthy enough for the woman who’d slain Alduin. Petty bandit groups and bounties put out on ordinary dragons held no challenge for me, once I’d finally killed the World-Eater. Nothing could compare to the thrill of that battle, no fight could give me that same adrenaline high, and I’d been chasing the feeling ever since.

And then Serana entered the picture, with her pale skin and dry humor, and every bit the fearsome creature a vampire would be. I was charmed by her, drawn in by the soft way she spoke to me, the contrast of ruby-red lips against her pale skin, and  _ gods _ , the way she  _ laughed _ absolutely shook me to my core. I’d be lying if I said she hadn't ever been the subject of my dreams and daytime fantasies once or twice. But having her along made me feel energized again, ready to face the world with someone at my side for once. And I’ve never been more grateful to have someone at my side, because while Alduin had been terrifying and a wicked foe for me to face alone, I was the Dragonborn, and I’d had a prophecy to fulfill. Now, I was trying my best to make sure another prophecy never came to pass. 

Alduin may have been powerful, with strength far greater than anyone could ever comprehend, but at the end of it all, he was just a dragon. Harkon had been a man, once. Serana reminded me of it often, when her father became the subject of our discussions. And that made him crafty and ruthless and loyal to a fault, though absolutely to the wrong people and ideals, and willing to sacrifice his own daughter for the sake of his obsession with this prophecy. Serana’s father was just as terrifying as Alduin, and on the nights when the World-Eater didn’t haunt my dreams, Harkon was there, leering over me and threatening to rip my mortality from very being. Dying seemed awful, but once it was over, that was it. Vampirism came with consequences that I never wanted to experience, and hopefully never would.

I rolled over onto my back, sighing as I stared up at the makeshift ceiling above me. The wind had picked up, and I was glad that the tent was secure enough to keep out the cold. I could hear the storm raging outside, and though this kind of weather was expected of the colder climates in Skyrim, it was far more unsettling at night, when I was exhausted and vulnerable. I laid there, listening to the wind outside for a while, trying my best to relax, but every unfamiliar noise made me jump, and I was far too on edge to fall asleep anytime soon. I’d all but settled for having a sleepless night when I heard the unmistakable sound of a branch snapping somewhere just outside my tent. 

My exhaustion seemed to fade immediately and I was on alert as I sat up, pulling my boots on and snatching up my war axe from its spot on the ground beside my knapsack. With my axe gripped tightly in my hand, I crept to the tent’s opening as quietly as I could, lifting the fur tarp and peering out into the darkness. Normally, the twin moons or the aurora would have provided some sort of light, even on the darkest of nights, but the storm raging out there had completely covered the sky. I strained to hear anything over the sound of wind in my ears, but I could hear nothing else. I couldn’t tell if that calmed my nerves or made me even more uneasy. 

But then there it was again, unmistakably, the sound of footsteps on the frozen ground. I whirled around, trying to pinpoint the noise. It’d sounded like it had come from behind the tent, but then I heard it once more, from behind me this time. I turned on instinct, eyes searching the shadowy abyss in front of me, but I could see nothing. My heart was racing, now. I didn’t scare easily, but in the dark, anything could happen, and I wouldn't even see it coming. I took a step forward, then another, inching closer to where the noise had come from. I was about to round the corner around the side of the tent, thinking whatever was out here had circled around it again, when out of the darkness flashed a pair of bright orange eyes, leering at me with a look I couldn’t describe. I swung my axe out blindly, feeling triumphant when it collided with something solid, only to realize whatever was in front of me had reached out with impossible speed and stopped it mid-swing. I yelped, falling back onto my ass, wincing as I landed on the cold, hard ground. 

_ “Divines, are you alright?” _ a voice asked from above me as I lay there, dazed. “I didn’t mean to scare you, I swear.”

Out of the dark appeared Serana’s face, now lit up red by the faintly glowing spell in her hand. I stared up at her, still reeling from the shock, but my confusion was starting to wear off, and the pain started to set in. Serana held her hand out to me, and I took it, cringing at the feeling of my wet pants against my skin as she pulled me up off the ground. Already I was even colder than before, and having the frost seep into my clothes made it much, much worse. I’d have to leave them up to dry overnight and sleep in my underclothes if I wanted to avoid freezing to death in my wet things. 

“I really am sorry,” Serana said after she’d let go of my hand. Her skin had felt warm compared to the freezing temperatures out here, and as soon as that warmth was gone, I found myself wanting it back. “I was just out for a walk, and I heard you come outside. I had no intention of spooking you.”

I shook my head, not caring much about that anymore. “It’s fine, really. I just don’t think I’ll be getting any sleep at all tonight, at this point. Far too cold, now, and my backside is hurting more than I care to admit, so falling asleep comfortably is out of the question.”

“Oh, dear,” Serana said, looking apologetic. “I’m truly sorry, Feydra. Perhaps one of your healing potions will help ease the pain?

I shook my head again at that. “I prefer to save my potions for when I really need them. For pain, though, I tend to keep a little skooma on hand whenever possible.”

“Skooma’s illegal though, isn’t it?”

“Well, yeah, but as a thane, guards tend to look the other way when it comes to some things. Plus, as the Dragonborn, there isn’t much aside from murder they’d willingly arrest me for, anyway. ‘Long as I’m not being irresponsible about it, I figure skooma’s an okay thing to have a little bit of, once in a while.”

Serana looked curious at that, but hesitant to say anything. After a moment, she spoke. “Do you smoke it?”

“You can. I prefer to drink it when possible,” I said, shrugging. “Just easier for me that way, I guess. Listen, if you’d like to try it out, I don’t mind, but can we get out of the cold? I’m not sure I want to be out here much longer in these wet clothes, or I’ll freeze.” 

“Oh!” Serana exclaimed, looking embarrassed. “Yes, of course. I sometimes forget you’re not accustomed to the cold like I am.”

“Yeah, well, we can’t all be invincible against everything but the sun,” I joked, entering the tent with Serana behind me. “I’ll just get out of my wet clothes and join you in a moment.”

“Alright,” Serana said, taking a seat, cross-legged, on the bed roll next to mine. She didn’t sleep often, and even less so at night, but we both still found comfort in sharing a bedspace each night, even if she usually stayed awake long after I’d fallen asleep. I shucked off my damp shirt and soaked pants, grimacing at the spot of mud on the ass before hanging them both over one of the tent’s thin beams. I wasn’t bothered by being in my underclothes around Serana, she’d seen me practically naked plenty of times before, but she always awkwardly looked away for a few moments before being able to meet my eyes, still looking quite embarrassed each time.

I rifled through my knapsack until I found a skooma bottle that still felt mostly full. I never used up an entire bottle at once, and so there was bound to be plenty for Serana and I to share what was left of it. I sat down on my bed roll, crossing my legs and facing Serana. She glanced down, only momentarily, at my bare legs, and then quickly looked away. I was sure that, had she still been human, her face would have been bright red now. When she felt comfortable enough to turn back towards me, I handed her the small purple bottle. 

“Drink as much as you think you’d like, and I’ll finish off the rest for you, yeah? But don’t feel the need to take too much. If you aren’t comfortable with it, you don’t have to drink the entire half.”

Serana nodded, pulling the top off and lifting the bottle up to her nose to take a sniff. After a few seconds of contemplating it with an unsure look on her face, she tipped the bottle back and took a small sip, making a displeased face at the cloying and syrupy taste of it. She handed the bottle back to me, and I downed it in one quick gulp, grimacing at the taste, but by now, I was used to how it made me feel. Serana, on the other hand, still looked a little disgusted, but as time went on and the skooma began to kick in, she relaxed more, and seemed to be enjoying herself for the first time I’d ever seen.

My mind felt hazy, now, and the pain had all but gone. Serana was now stretched out across her bed roll, a lazy grin on her face as she recounted some tale about her and her mother. I laughed, though I wasn’t entirely sure why, as I didn’t seem to be able to process half of the things she said. I felt truly out of it, as if nothing existed outside of the walls of our tent. It was as if the skooma had clouded my mind, and Serana was now clouding my heart. I could only focus on her, on her lips as she spoke, though I didn’t hear a word, too busy thinking of what  _ could _ happen between the two of us. At some point, though, I’d ended up snuggled up in my bed roll, warm and cozy and on the verge of sleep. Now, though, I didn’t want sleep to come – I only wanted to watch Serana’s face as she lay next to me in her own bed roll, staring up at the ceiling and muttering nonsense to herself that made her laugh, but my body had other plans. I felt myself drifting off, eyes closing involuntarily before they snapped back open. 

This went on, as I floated between consciousness and slumber for a while, but eventually, my eyes closed and then stayed shut as I gave in to the pull of my exhaustion. I fell asleep to the sound of Serana’s quiet huffs of laughter beside me, and in the realm of dreams that night, her eyes haunted me, but I found that I didn’t quite mind getting lost in those amber eyes of hers at all. 

**Author's Note:**

> Feedback is greatly appreciated, I thrive on validation & it always makes me more inclined to continue writing if I know people enjoy it :))


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